Bakonyi Marcell

Marcell Bakonyi was born in 1980 in Győr, Hungary. He studied voice at the Leo-Weiner Conservatory of Music in Budape. st, and later at the Hochschule für Musik in Stuttgart, Germany with Professor Julia Hamari where he also attended classes in Lieder singing.

While still a student, he sang the role of Jesus in Bach’s St. Matthew Passion, conducted by Dieter Kurz, and appeared in the Stuttgart Opera School’s productions of Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro and Bastien und Bastienne, as well as in Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. For the “Jungen Oper” series at the Staatsoper Stuttgart he took part in the World Premiere of Matthias Heep’s Träumer. He also sang the role of Lord Sidney in Rossini’s Il Viaggio a Reims at the Pesaro International Rossini Festival. From 2007-2008 he was a member of the ensemble at Theater Heidelberg.

Marcell Bakonyi is also in demand as a concert singer: he sang Bach’s Christmas Oratorio with the Collegium Iuvenum Stuttgart under the baton of Friedemann Keck, and the St. John Passion at the Chiemsee Festival, conducted by Enoch zu Guttenberg. From 2008 to 2009 he was a member of the Zürich International Opera Studio, where he sang, amongst others, the role of Steuermann in Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde. In 2009 he appeared at the Schwetzinger Festival in Handel’s opera Ezio.

Since 2009 he has been a member of the ensemble of the Landestheater Salzburg where he sang the roles of Bartolo and Figaro in Mozart`s Le nozze di Figaro, as well as Kaspar in Weber`s Der Freischütz, Angelotti in Puccini`s Tosca, Dulcamara in Donizetti`s L`elisir d`amore and Leporello Mozart`s Don Giovanni.

In April 2011 he won the International Competition Rolando Nicolosi in Rome and received a Special Price at Marcello Giordani Competition in Catania, resulting in an invitation to make a major North-American debut.

In the same year he has made his debut as Pietro in Verdi`s Simon Boccanegra at the Budapest State Opera House. In May 2012 he sang with great success Monteverdi`s Il ritorno d`Ulisse in Patria in Oslo DNO with Alessandro de Marchi, Rossini`s Cenerentola (Alidoro) and Verdi`s Traviata (Dottore Grenvil) in Salzburg. In the Summer of 2012 he made his United States of America`s debut as Sprecher in Mozart`s Die Zauberflőte at the Crested Butte Music Festival in Colorado.

Recently he sung Kaspar in Weber`s Der Freischütz at the Giessen Stadttheater, Don Alfonso in Mozart`s Cosi fan tutte and Il re di Scozia in Haendel`s Ariodante at the Landestheater in Salzburg. At the Budapest Opera House he sung Colline in Puccini`s La Bohéme as well as Masetto in Mozart`s Don Giovanni. He gave his Debut at the Innsbruck Festival für Alte Musik as Publio in La Clemenza di Tito in August 2013. , followed Escamillo in Carmen in Budapest.

In 2014 he returned to Oslo to sing Colline in a Revival of the famous Stefan Herheim Production of La Bohéme, and he sung Leporello in a New Production of Don Giovanni there as well. He made his french Debut as Priester in Magic Flute at Theatre Vichy followed Ferrando in Trovatore in Budapest State Opera. In 2016 he made his Debut as Ulderico/Zenovito in Sigismondo by Rossini in Wildbad Rossini Festival.

From the Season 2016/17 he was a member of the Ensemble in Nürnberg State Theater, where he sung a.o. Leporello in Don Giovanni, Huascar in Les Indes Galantes, Mustafa in L'italiana in Algeri. In May 2017 returned to Oslo to sing Colline in La Bohéme again. In the Season 2017-18 he was heard as Figaro in Le nozze di Figaro, Musfata in L'italiana in Algeri, Porgy in Porgy and Bess in Budapest. In summer 2018 he will make his Debut at Macearata Sferisterio Opera Festival in Italy as Sprecher in the Magic Flute directed by Graham Vick.

Further plans includes New York Debut with hungarian State Opera in November, performing Bánk Bán in David H. Koch Theater. Ashby in La Fanciulla des West in Budapest, Rusalka/ Vodbik in St. Gallen, and The Passengers / Officer in Teatro Real Madrid.